The subject matter disclosed herein relates to combined cycle power plants, and more specifically to systems and methods for heat recovery and steam generation.
Certain power plants include a combined cycle. The combined cycle may enable greater energy efficiencies, for example, by capturing energy that would have normally been lost through exhaust heat. Accordingly, a combined cycle may include systems that transform energy from exhaust heat into useful power. For example, combined cycle power generation systems may include a gasification system that is integrated with at least one power producing turbine system. For example, a gasifier may convert a mixture of fuel, air or oxygen, steam, and other additives into an output of a partially combusted gas, typically referred to as a “syngas”. The fuel is supplied to the combustor of a gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine, in turn, drives a generator for the production of electrical power or drives another type of load. Exhaust from the gas turbine engine may be supplied to a heat recovery steam generator (“HRSG”) so as to generate steam for a steam turbine. The power generated by the steam turbine may also drive an electrical generator or another type of load. As such, the combined cycle power plants may be useful in converting fuel and exhaust heat into power. It would be beneficial to improve the operations of a variety of combined cycle power plants.